Help me plan the best post nightshift breakfast and routine for optimum sleep!

Francesca123

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I work a set of nights every couple of months. My shifts are usually 4 nights at a time. I’d appreciate any help in planning the best post- shift breakfast for optimum sleep. At the minute I find myself waking up after only 3 hours sleep with a racing heart and high anxiety and struggle to get back to sleep.

Thank you
 
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I work a set of nights every couple of months. My shifts are usually 4 nights at a time. I’d appreciate any help in planning the best post- shift breakfast for optimum sleep. At the minute I find myself waking up after only 3 hours sleep with a racing heart and high anxiety and struggle to get back to sleep.

Thank you
What are you eating usually on those nights? Bag breathing helps me a lot for sleep, before I go to sleep and again if I wake up.
 
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Francesca123

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What are you eating usually on those nights? Bag breathing helps me a lot for sleep, before I go to sleep and again if I wake up.
I don’t normally eat at all during the nightshirt. I have my breakfast when I come home and then I eat dinner when I wake up before going to work and I just have a cup of tea during the night!

Never thought about bag breathing! Thanks
 
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Peatness

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Maybe you are waking up after only 3 hours sleep because of hunger?

 
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Francesca123

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Maybe you are waking up after only 3 hours sleep because of hunger?

I’m not so cute because I had a good sized breakfast but maybe it still isn’t enough! I will maybe double my breakfast tomorrow and see if that helps. Thanks
 

Blossom

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I could never get decent sleep during the day when I worked nights. My sleep was usually 3-5 hours max regardless of what I ate. If I could go back and do things differently I would never work nights. I’m still impacted by the lingering effects of it to this day. My last night shift was in December of 2019 and my sleep is still ever so gradually improving. I apologize if I sound like I’m being a downer but I hate to not speak up because at some point it seems the circadian rhythm becomes incredibly difficult to repair. I was 50 years old when I worked my last night shift and I did it off and on for over 20 years so probably personally did it for way too long.
 
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Zsazsa

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15-30 minutes in a dark environment with red or orange light + 1/2 Tbsp Milk of Magnesia immediately before lying down = low cortisol throughout the night.

Hopefully this can help with sleeping during the day as well...
 
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Francesca123

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I could never get decent sleep during the day when I worked nights. My sleep was usually 3-5 hours max regardless of what I ate. If I could go back and do things differently I would never work nights. I’m still impacted by the lingering effects of it to this day. My last night shift was in December of 2019 and my sleep is still ever so gradually improving. I apologize if I sound like I’m being a downer but I hate to not speak up because at some point it seems the circadian rhythm becomes incredibly difficult to repair. I was 50 years old when I worked my last night shift and I did it off and on for over 20 years so probably personally did it for way too long.
Thanks Blossom! I know they are really bad for me lol. Thankfully I don’t do as many as actual shift workers and only have about 35 night shifts over the course of the year and will probably be doing a similar amount for the next few years until I finish training!

I was actually able to sleep 9 hours today which was probably just because I was exhausted!
 
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Francesca123

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15-30 minutes in a dark environment with red or orange light + 1/2 Tbsp Milk of Magnesia immediately before lying down = low cortisol throughout the night.

Hopefully this can help with sleeping during the day as well...
Thank you!
 

Blossom

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Thanks Blossom! I know they are really bad for me lol. Thankfully I don’t do as many as actual shift workers and only have about 35 night shifts over the course of the year and will probably be doing a similar amount for the next few years until I finish training!

I was actually able to sleep 9 hours today which was probably just because I was exhausted!
Wonderful! I’m very happy for you.
 

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